Pork Tenderloin Tacos with Heirloom Tomato and Peach Salsa

Want tasty yet healthy?
 
Want simple techniques that yield complex and bold flavors?

Try this recipe...you won't be disappointed.

Pork Tenderloin Tacos with Heirloom Tomato and Peach Salsa:

1 pork tenderloin
1/2 white onion, chopped
water to cover the meat about halfway
cumin
salt
pepper

Sprinkle salt, pepper, and cumin on all sides of the pork.

Heat a little bit of olive oil (enough to just cover the pan when hot) in a deep skillet, which is large enough for the pork tenderloin, over medium high heat. When the oil is good and hot, sear the pork tenderloin, allowing the meat to brown before turning. Brown all sides of the meat this way, it should take about 2 or 3 minutes per side. Tip: browning meat is not difficult, but it will work better if you dry your meats thoroughly using paper towels before putting them into the hot oil. Any water on the surface of the meat when it meets the hot oil will hinder the browning.

Once browned, reduce the heat to medium and add the onions. When the onions are soft, add enough water to the pan to cover the meat about halfway, then cover the pan tightly. Let the pork cook simmering in the water for about 1 or 1.5 hours. (Later on when the pork is finished cooking and is very tender, let it rest for a while by removing it from the heat. Then shred the meat just before you plan to assemble the tacos. If you shred it too soon, it will become very dry. Tenderloin is not the most moist cut of pork, so you want to preserve any juices still in the meat.)

While the pork is cooking, you will have plenty of time to make the salsa.

For which you will need:

small package heirloom tomatoes (if not available use a small package of cherry or grape tomatoes)
1 medium sized peach
handful of finely diced red onion
handful of finely chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno
juice of 1/2 lime (or more if you like)
salt, to taste


Take half of the heirloom tomatoes and put them in a food processor or small food chopper, and pulse until a nice sauce has formed. Transfer these tomatoes to a strainer (but reserve that juice!). Once most of the juice is strained, add the pureed tomatoes to a large bowl.

Chop up the other half of the tomatoes roughly and add to the same bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, adding more of the tomato juice as you see fit. (I like to put a little salt in that juice and drink it...I'm weird like that.)

The next step is my favorite. Assemble the tacos (using corn or flour tortillas) and let the flavors explode in your mouth!

Fate Brought Us Together....

Sometimes things just happen for a reason right? It had to be fate that I ended up at La Lupe in Philadelphia yesterday for a couple of the best tacos I have ever eaten. Let me explain...

First off, I've been on hiatus for three months. I burned myself out badly on Mexican food during the first part of the year, so I needed a break. And just when I was wondering if I'd ever get back to it...along came La Lupe. This past Saturday night I was watching 'Best Food Ever' on TLC, specifically the episode on 'Buzzworthy BBQ.' Wouldn't you know it, #6 on their top 10 list, Bebe's BBQ, is right in my backyard in Philly! So I made plans to head down there Sunday with the kids while my wife was working. Everything was going according to plan until we arrived at the location where Bebe's USED TO BE. That's right...it's closed. Not sure if this is a temporary thing or permanent...but what a bummer.

Fortunately I had parked near Pat's and Geno's...so I figured I'd just get myself a cheesesteak instead right? WRONG. I'm not sure what was going on in Philly yesterday, but there were throngs of people at both joints, with lines wrapping around each building.

Two choices left...a Vietnamese sandwich shop, or an authentic Mexican restaurant. Should have been an easy call right? Not exactly. The Mexican restaurant is in a spot where countless other restaurants have tried boldly to survive right next door to Pat's and Geno's. So I had this preconception that any restaurant in that particular spot just couldn't be very good, which is completely ridiculous, I know. But I decided on the Mexican, parked myself and three kids at a table inside, not realizing I was about to be completely throttled by flavor...

The wait staff at La Lupe were courteous, friendly, and took an immediate liking to my children as they took turns holding the baby. When this 'baby' (more aptly called beastie) decided to pull everything off the table, they were only too happy to help me clean up our mess.

As is standard in the U.S., they gave us a basket of freshly-made tortilla chips and some delicious salsa to start things off. The food came out only shortly after ordering...two tacos al pastor and one taco de carnitas. The kids had french fries (they had already eaten lunch at home!), which were actually really good.  As I bit into my first taco, which by the way was wrapped in a conical shape in some tissue paper to help keep everything together, I forgot about the baby grabbing things off the table and throwing them across the restaurant. I had reached some type of zen I guess. Each taco was prepared with a dollop of guacamole, fresh cilantro, and some diced white onion. The pork carnitas were obviously slow cooked and shredded and just incredibly flavorful. The pork al pastor was a nice contrast, rubbed with spices and grilled, then finely chopped with some grilled pineapple. Oh, and let's not forget the freshly made corn tortillas that held all this deliciousness together! Still warm, these corn tortillas were the best I've had, hands down. Even through the intense flavors of the pork, guacamole, and pineapple (in the tacos al pastor), these delightful corn wrappers refused to be lost in the crowd. At $2.50 per taco (I would have paid double that, easily), this is a place you absolutely have to visit if you like Mexican food. And I haven't even breached the surface of their extensive menu...

All said and done, La Lupe brought me right back to where I was a couple months ago, in love with Mexican food, and ready to try my hand at some tacos al pastor...

Love in an Enchilada

What was I saying about a tangent? Oh yeah, I'm on one. Deviating once again from any recipes or cookbooks, I decided to try my hand at making enchiladas, off the cuff, using the techniques and methods I have learned over the past few months from watching the master. What I came up with was probably a combination of traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex...cheese enchiladas (Mexican) topped with chili con carne (Tex-Mex). They got the vote of approval from my wife, who is beyond sick of Mexican food at this point. Kudos to her for soldiering on and continuing to allow me to cook these meals for her.

Recipe #3: Churros

I started this blog with the intention of finishing all the recipes in Bayless' book Mexico: One Plate at a Time, or at least all the recipes in the book that appealed to me. Needless to say, I've gone off on a tangent. It was expected, I don't always have time to get every ingredient needed for specific recipes, so I often just wing it. The techniques and fundamentals are still coming from Bayless, for the most part.
I thought it was time to get back to the book, and there was no better way to do it than with a tasty treat like churros.

Cinco de Mayo, Flautas (Taquitos), Fajita Quesadillas, and Salsas Galore

On the menu for Cinco de Mayo:

Chicken flautas, topped with Monterey Jack (MJ) cheese and jalapeno cream
Chicken and cheese fajita quesadillas, made by my wife :)
Guacamole
Salsa bar (roasted tomatillo, raw tomatillo, mango, roasted tomato and green chile, jalapeno)

When my wife texted me the night before (while I was on my way to a Phillies game) saying 'I invited some friends over for Cinco de Mayo, thought you'd like to cook Mexican for other people,' I was excited and tormented at the same time. What to make?? Should I repeat something I've already done or try something new?
One thing was for sure, there would be guacamole and there would be salsas. Since it was a school/work night, I figured something that cooks up quickly would work best. Deep frying is quick...everyone loves fried food! So I arrived at flautas, which I believe are also called taquitos.

Signature Burger!

I've been trying to come up with a signature burger, here's my first crack at it...

Pictured above is a Mexican-influenced medium rare burger with melted Monterey Jack, roasted poblanos, grilled red onion, and a jalapeno hot sauce mayonnaise...all topped with freshly prepared guacamole (not pictured). I didn't actually eat this burger until an hour after taking the picture, so the guac was waiting patiently in the fridge.

Guac This Way (Guacamole for One...or Two)

While on the subject of salsa, we might as well revisit guacamole. I can't get enough of it lately, and it's so easy to make, I just want it all the time. If you've never made guacamole before and think it's really labor intensive, it's not. There are countless ways to make it, but here's how I usually prepare mine...

First, in a large bowl (until I get my first molcajete!), I prepare a base with lime juice, onions, cilantro, and salt. Then I cut open a single avocado and scoop it in, mashing all the ingredients together with a spoon or fork. After everything is thoroughly mixed, I taste it and adjust each ingredient as needed.

Salsa Fiesta! Part Two

If you've ever watched RB's shows, you've probably heard him say that in Mexico salsas are used as condiments, a lot like how we use ketchup and mayo. You might also have heard him say 'chips and salsa, as a snack, isn't really all that Mexican.' Well, the salsas I've been experimenting with lately are really helping me to understand this concept. The consistency of the salsa, since most of the time I'm using a blender or food processor, is thinner than that which I've been used to from those super chunky and thick jarred salsas. Additionally, RB says to 'season your salsas highly' so that they contribute nicely to a finished overall dish and don't get lost in the shuffle. That being said, I'm still a big fan of chips and salsa, so that's how I test out all the salsas I make. And I usually 'test' them until all the chips are gone, or all the salsa is gone, whichever comes first.

The great part about salsa is that you can kind of wing it. Well, not kind of....you can (and I have) flat out wing it, actually. You can easily make each one your own by increasing the amount of some ingredients, decreasing the amount of others. Here are a couple I made over the weekend...both of which were based on RB's recipes or those I've seen elsewhere on the internet.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

6 to 8 small/medium tomatillos, roasted under broiler
2 serrano chiles, roasted
salt, to taste
2T. cilantro
2T. onion (red or white), minced
juice of 1/2 lime, optional

First step was to roast the tomatillos and serranos under a broiler. It takes about 8-10 minutes (4 to 5 on each side) for them to get nice and blackened. When sufficiently roasted, allow to cool, stem the chiles and then add them with the tomatillos (and their pan juices) to a blender. Next add to the blender a couple generous pinches of salt and some cilantro. Pulse the mixture until thoroughly mixed and pureed. RB's recipe does not call for lime juice because the tomatillos add some acidity. I still like it just a little tangier, so I add the juice of 1/2 a lime.

Next, mince your onion of choice (red, white, whatever) and rinse under cold water (RB says this gives the onion a brighter flavor in the finished salsa). Drain the onion and add it to the salsa.

That's it! Before you go following my recipe...please note that after about 5 or 6 chips my face was on fire. Two serrano chiles was a bit much for the amount of tomatillos I used. And the heat doesn't hit you immediately. Next time I will either seed the chiles, OR use 1 instead of 2. Ok, maybe half of one! It was really hot! But in terms of taste, this might have been my favorite salsa to date. I can imagine many ways in which this salsa could be used to brighten up chicken or steak or whatever else. And I have to say, it tasted really good on chips too.

Dried Guajillo and Tomato Salsa

Ever since making the sauce for the tamales a while back, I've had these dried chiles in my cabinet waiting to be used. But how? After searching the net, I found a couple recipes for salsa, so without following any recipes, I winged it. Or is it wung it? I improvised.

6 dried guajillo chiles, held under hot water for 30 minutes, then allowed to cool, stemmed and seeded.
1 serrano chile, stemmed
3 or 4 canned whole tomatoes (not 3 or 4 cans of tomatoes, 3 or 4 tomatoes total)
2T. red onion
salt, cilantro, and lime juice, to taste
water, to desired consistency

After bringing the chiles back to life, stem and seed them, roughly chop them, and add them to the blender with everything else. Pulse until well blended, then add in the onion, and you have your dried guajillo and tomato salsa.

There is a little hint of smokiness from the chiles, and you still get that great freshness provided by the lime juice, cilantro, and onion. Although this salsa tasted good on chips...I don't think this salsa is appropriate for chips. This would make a great base for chili, or an enchilada sauce, or to top off a taco, maybe even in a quesadilla with some grilled chicken. Perfect amount of heat provided by 1 serrano, as opposed to the two I put in the tomatillo salsa.

Experiment. Add, subtract, do whatever. Taylor salsas to your preferences. That's what I've learned. Don't get bogged down by details. If you don't feel like roasting anything, make a raw salsa. It'll be different, but still good. I'm not sure I've ever tried a salsa I didn't like...especially on a good chip...which leads me to...

Mr. Wheat All Natural Crispy Wheat Cakes

I saw these peculiar things in our pantry. I've never been a fan of rice cakes, so I was pretty skeptical. We had the sea salt variety. I've been looking for an alternative way to eat 'chips and salsa' since the chip usually make the healthy snack not so healthy.

So I tried the salsas with some of these crispy wheat cakes. I won't say it was as tasty as eating chips, but I won't say it was terrible either. And when one wheat cake (think fluffy and light, not dense and dry) can be broken into 5 bite-sized chips, each at about 3 calories...well, it's worth trying.

http://www.mrwheat.com/sitefiles2/index.asp

Chiles Rellenos with Tostones

Chiles rellenos (stuffed peppers) are relatively new to me. Or are they? Couldn't you call a jalapeno popper a chile relleno? It is after all, a chile pepper...and it is stuffed with cheese...and it is usually battered and fried. So is a jalapeno popper a chile relleno? Sure sounds like it, in which case I've eaten many a chile relleno in my day. Classic chiles rellenos are made with somewhat larger chiles, and this recipe called for poblanos. To go along with it, I made tostones (fried plantains)...which aren't quite Mexican, but Latin American. I figured as long as the deep fryer is out...might as well get some use out of it.

Chile Relleno

To make a chile relleno you need the following: a roasted poblano chile, some kind of filling, a batter, and some hot oil in which to fry it. For the filling I went simple: Monterey Jack cheese. The batter is relatively simple as well...just gives your wrists a workout. I happen to have the luxury of owning a deep fryer, which regulates the temperature of the oil for me. Frying these bad boys stove top would be a completely different animal, but certainly not out of the question. Let's examine each step...

Roasting the chile

Set your broiler on high and set the oven rack just beneath it. Set some aluminum foil on the rack and lay the chiles down on it. Turn every couple of minutes until the skin blackens all over and the chiles' flesh becomes soft. This will take about 10 minutes or so. Remove from oven, set in a bowl, and cover. Once cooled, peel the skin from the chiles and discard. Your chiles are now ready for stuffing!

Stuffing the chiles

This is perhaps the easiest part of the process yet somehow I managed to make a mess of it. Using a sharp knife (preferably non-serrated) make an incision down one side of the chile from almost at the top to near the bottom. Try not to go all the way to the bottom though, you don't want to risk losing the filling. Scoop out as many of the seeds as you can.

I used a block of MJ cheese to use as my filling. Cut a decent sized rectangular piece of cheese to fit inside the chile. Try to make it as big as you can...but not too big so the chile won't close around it. Now you have a stuffed pepper...a chile relleno. Now it's time to batter it and fry it.

Battering the chile relleno

Dredge the chiles rellenos in four, and shake off the excess. Creating the batter involves separating some eggs...something I had never done before. If I can do it, you can do it...it's a lot easier than it sounds. I used only 3 eggs since I was only battering two rellenos. Separate the eggs and add about 1/2 teaspoon salt to the whites, and beat them until they form stiff peaks. It was fun doing this for the first time and seeing it actually work...but it definitely made my entire arm tired! Once the whites hold their shape a bit, beat in the yolks and 1 tablespoon of flour. The batter is ready! When the oil is hot enough, dip the floured chiles into the batter to coat and put them right into the fryer.

Frying the chiles rellenos

I fried them in my deep fryer at 375. About 5 minutes on one side (and using a spoon to baste the tops while the bottom cooked) and then about 4 minutes on the other. They come out a nice golden color. Then it's to a 400 degree oven to crisp them up just a touch and to fully melt the cheese inside.

It sounds like tons of work, but it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I will definitely try it again. RB says in the book 'All the techniques are manageable, though you'll notice increasingly better results the more times you make them.'

I heated up some fresh tomato salsa in a pan and to serve it I laid the chile relleno in the warm salsa.

Tostones

Tostones are pretty much plantain chips. The hardest part about this was peeling the plantain. By the time I had the peel off, my plantain was a sorry looking thing. But I had enough to work with. I cut the plantain on a bias into six pieces, each about 3/4 thick. I then fried them for 3 minutes at 375, took them out, and let them cool a bit on some paper towels.

Once cooled, I smashed them flat with a plate, and then they went back into the hot tub of oil for another 3 minutes (same temp). Then it was back to paper towels for clearing off excess oil and adding some salt. Nothing difficult here.

Ratings:

Chiles rellenos

Flavor: 4/5 - The batter wasn't as crispy as I'd prefer, but the dish as a whole was very tasty.

Difficulty: 2/5 - I think preparing the chiles is the toughest part, but even that isn't too bad. Like making tamales, this would be a lot of fun to do with a group of people.

Health: 2/5 - Fried and stuffed with cheese. Need I say more?

Kid Friendliness: 1/5 - Even my wife came home and said 'what is that??' and said it looked like a squid. Thanks. Yes, they have a funny shape, but a squid?? I don't see it. I have a feeling if my kids helped make them, they might be more inclined to try them. We'll see next time.

Tostones

Flavor: 0/5 - I must not have done this right, or my plantain just wasn't a good one. I've heard such good things about these, but mine were like eating slices of flavorless banana on cardboard. This was a complete and utter failure. But maybe I'll give it another shot down the line.

Queso Relleno!

I watched an episode of M:OPAAT (Mexico: One Plate at a Time) last night, the one where RB makes queso relleno. I had never heard of such a thing. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. I think this will have to be the next Mexican meal I make. The literal translation to english is 'stuffed cheese.' He used Chihuahua cheese and stuffed it with a pork picadillo filling, which consisted of ground pork with a tomato/chile sauce. To make the dish he put two big slices of cheese in the bottom of a crock, then added the pork filling, and put two more slices of cheese on top...then baked it all until the cheese was melted and browned a bit. So the pork filling was completely encased within the hot, melted cheese. I have to try it...it looked so unbelievably good.

Now where can I get myself some Chihuahua cheese??

Yesterday, We Were Mexican...

I love the good ol' USA, but it seems other cultures promote more of a sense of community. During a trip to Italy in 1999 I noticed that families and friends lived nearer each other and seemed to see each other more often. They get together for no better reason than just to be together and enjoy each others company...no special occasions necessary.

Yesterday, some very good friends of mine came over. Friends I haven't seen in too long. Friends that only live about a twenty minute drive away. We made lots of food, we drank beer, we laughed, we listened to music, we played games with the kids. We were together. And I loved every minute of it.

Now on to the food.

Tamalada!

I have no idea what a traditional tamalada is like, since I've never been to one. In fact, I had my first tamale just three short weeks ago. Like the carnitas I tried for the first time last summer, the tamale was like another revelation. I had eyed these funny creatures on plates at Mexican restaurants in the past, but I never ventured beyond the curiosity stage. I'm glad I finally did.

So it was time to try to make a tamale. Seeing that I had enough trouble making corn tortillas, it seemed a pretty tall order. I brought in reinforcements. In his book, RB's advice is to not go it alone with tamales. He says this not because they're difficult (which is a very relative term), but because it's just more fun to make them with a group of people...to have a "tamalada" or tamal-making party. Once again he hits the mark...he's a pretty smart guy...

On my own, this tamal-making process might have ended in disaster. It would have been stress-filled from start to finish. From being overwhelmed by the size of the banana leaves we used to wrap our tamales, to the timing of preparing the filling and the batter...I might have quit before I started. But bring in some friends to help out, listen to some music, chat, laugh, experiment, learn, and have fun...well, it was an experience I won't soon forget.

I won't post the recipe here because it is available on RB's website here:

http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=118

In that recipe is also a link to the two traditional fillings he discusses in the book...chicken with green chile sauce, or what we went with...pork in a red chile sauce.

Don't be scared by the words 'chile sauce'...it's not very spicy at all. We made the sauce with a mixture of dried ancho and guajillo chiles (seeded, stemmed and reconstituted in boiling water), which on their own are not very spicy but pack bold flavors. Add some fresh garlic, some seasonings, and some water, puree...and there you have a nice red chile sauce.

The pork (shoulder), which was cubed and seasoned with freshly ground cumin, coriander, and black pepper, stewed in the chile sauce for over an hour, became fork tender, and if your mouth isn't watering by now...

The batter was equally as easy to make. Lots of shortening was used, but hey, the recipe makes 18 (we actually came away with 23) tamales.

Once the batter was made it was chilled in the fridge for 1 hour. During this time we played games with the kids and drank more beer. Excellent. After the hour was up we beat the batter again and it was time to form the tamales. There are pictures in the cookbook and I'm sure videos online that will explain how to do it. It was a lot of fun to make these little food packages, all the while wondering how they would turn out.

Note: The final stage calls for steaming the tamales for over 1 hour. Lesson learned, and as they tell you in your high school science lab, read the entire recipe before beginning. If my friends didn't come up with a good solution to this potential problem, we might still be making them.

Opening the first one was very exciting. Out of the steamed banana leaf came what looked like a tamale! So, by appearances only, we had succeeded. Next I grabbed a fork and dug in. The tamale was light and fluffy, and filled with our pork and red chile sauce...and it was, dare I say, delicious. A grand success. But even if they had not been so good, it wouldn't have mattered. What I enjoyed most was the experience of it all. The fact that the tamales were so delicious was just an added bonus to an awesome day spent having a great time with friends. I would encourage anyone to invite some friends over and try this, I for one can't wait to do it again. Tamalada anyone?

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

After being mildly disappointed in the tomato-based enchilada sauce I made back in February, I decided to go a different route this time around. It would either be a chili pepper-based sauce, or a tomatillo salsa. We had everything already at home to make the tomatillo salsa required for the enchiladas, so I gave it a go.

I will preface this recipe by saying this might have been my tastiest effort in my Mexican food adventure to date. The sauce smells heavenly as it cooks.

Ingredients:

Raw (or roasted) tomatillo salsa, recipe follows
tortillas (I made flour tortillas)
2 chicken breasts (cooked for a few hours in the salsa)
2 cups chicken stock
salt, pepper, cumin powder (for seasoning chicken)

The recipe in RB's cookbook for the raw tomatillo salsa differs slightly (I think) from his website. But here it is, it's super easy...

http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=193.

I added the juice of half a lime to this as a matter of personal preference.

Enchiladas:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Season the chicken on both sides with salt, fresh pepper, and some ground cumin. Heat about 1 T. olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. Sear both sides of the chicken to brown, reduce heat to low and add the tomatillo salsa and 2 cups chicken stock. Let simmer 2 hours (or at least until chicken is fully cooked).I turned the chicken occassionally over the course of the 2 hours to try to cook it as evenly as possible.

While the chicken was cooking I prepared a black bean side dish and some fresh flour tortillas.

Black beans:

1 15 oz can black beans, drained
3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
A little bit o' this, a little bit 'o that (salsa verde and tomato salsa)
Olive oil

There was no method to this madness. Heat some olive oil, just a little, in a small pot over medium or lower heat. Add the garlic, cooking until soft. Add the beans and stir, increasing the heat a bit. Add the stock and let cook for a while. I really wanted to cook the chicken in the salsa verde for a long time, so the beans also cooked for a long time. The longer they cook, I'm sure the tastier they are...I kept adding a little bit of water when the black bean sauce reduced. Sometimes I added a little of the salsa verde from the pan, and sometimes I added some fresh tomato salsa to keep the beans from drying out. Near the end I smashed up the beans a bit with a potato masher. It turned out to be a very tasty side dish, and one that complimented the enchiladas nicely. In the future I might use this as a filling for tacos.

When the beans and enchi's are just about done, add the cilantro to the beans.

Flour tortillas:

There is a video on about.com I used for this recipe. I made the tortillas a bit larger to make enchiladas. This recipe makes about 6 large tortillas, or 8-12 small ones.

http://video.about.com/mexicanfood/Homemade-Flour-Tortillas.htm

Back to the enchiladas:

When you feel your chicken and salsa verde have cooked for long enough, and you're finished with everything else, remove the chicken from the pan and cover so you don't let too much of that precious steam escape. When it cools a bit, shred with two forks...the longer you let the chicken simmer in the salsa, the easier this will be.

In a 13x9 or similar baking dish, spread some of the salsa verde over the bottom. Roll some chicken into each of the tortillas, and place them in the baking dish (leave some room between each enchi so you can get them out individually if you want). Using a large spoon, spoon more salsa verde over the top of each enchilada, then top each with the cheese of your choice. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, basting with the salsa verde to keep moist.

Serve alongside the black beans.

Flavor: 5/5

You can't go wrong here. I think the longer you cook the salsa/chicken, the better this dish will be.

Heat: 1/5

I think the heat was caused by the pepper jack cheese I used to top the enchiladas. Other than that, nothing about this dish was spicy.

Kid Friendliness: 3/5

My daughter ate a taco I prepared for her with one of the tortillas, some of the chicken, and a tiny bit of the salsa verde. Whether she would have eaten it in enchilada form remains to be seen. The kids were in bed by the time we ate the enchi's at 8:30...so maybe we'll see next time.

Health: 4/5

I'm no nutritionist, but if you look at the ingredients, this is no belly buster. Limit your portion and you've got one healthy, and mightily tasty meal. Try whole wheat flour or corn tortillas instead of white flour tortillas if you prefer.

Salsa Fiesta! Part One

Today at work we decided to do a salsa lunch. One friend brought tortilla chips, I made two tomato salsas and some fresh guacamole (5 minutes or so prior to eating), and another friend brought in black bean salsa.

Salsa for lunch? I thought I'd be left hungry after finishing the salsas. It turns out the salsa lunch was very satisfying (and extremely healthy) and we didn't finish a single one of them. The recipes and ratings follow...

Tomato salsa #1:

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
2 T. chopped white onion
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped
juice from 1/4 lime
juice from 1/4 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed

This salsa can be prepared in about 3 minutes. Drop the tomatoes in a food processor and pulse a few times. Chop the cilantro and onion and add to the processor, pulse a few times more. Add the lemon/lime juice, salt, and pepper (if wanted) and pulse once more. That's it!

The finished salsa lacked the 'punch' I like, but that's because there are no chiles present. Add a little more lime to give it some zing.

Ratings:

Flavor: 3/5

Very fresh taste, but it just felt like something was missing here. Maybe next time I'll add more lime, onion and a small amount of fresh chile.

Heat: 0/5

There are no chiles, and nothing in this recipe makes this salsa even remotely spicy. A good choice to make for people who are sensitive to spicy food.

Tomato salsa #2, based on the Salsa de Molcajete recipe from the cookbook:

Salsa de Molcajete (Roasted Tomato and Green Chile Salsa)...the recipe calls for roasting tomatoes, chiles, and garlic. I roasted the garlic and one jalapeno, but I did not roast the tomatoes since all I had were canned tomatoes. The recipe also called for some white onion, but I liked it without so I left it alone. I will try this recipe again once tomatoes are in season (although I thought it was mighty tasty, not to mention a lot less fussy, with the canned tomatoes).

After roasting the chile (I only used one) and some unpeeled garlic, I added them to the food processor and pulsed a few times (remember to peel the garlic before dropping into the processor). I then dumped in the can of tomatoes and finished the salsa with some fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro, and salt.

Ratings:

Flavor: 4/5

A big, bold flavor. The sweetness of the tomatoes melds nicely with the flavors of the roasted jalapeno and garlic. The roasted chile and garlic impart quite a bold flavor to this salsa, so for one 15 oz can of tomatoes, 1 whole jalapeno and 3 garlic cloves might be a bit much for some people. The lime juice and cilantro bring it all together. Has quite a bite to it!

I also love the texture of the tomatoes pulsed in the food processor. Previously, every 'fresh' salsa I had ever made was made with chopped tomatoes. Pulsing everything just brings all those flavors together. I'm pretty sure I'll be using the food processor (or a mortar and pestle if/when I get one) for salsa from now on.

Heat: 3/5

Heat levels depend on your tolerance, of course. I feel this salsa had the perfect amount of flavor to bite ratio. You notice the heat but it doesn't overpower the other flavors. People sensitive to heat will probably not enjoy this recipe.

Guacamole (based on the Guacamole Clasico recipe from the cookbook):

I adjusted the amount of just about everything, because I only had two avocados. I bought firm ones days in advance, as the book suggests, and they ripened perfectly. By the time I used them, they were soft and extremely flavorful.

2 avocados
juice of 1/2 lime
2 T. chopped cilantro
salt, to taste

Cut the avocados in half the long way, twist to open, and remove the pit. Scoop out the avocado flesh using a spoon. Mash with a fork until to your desired consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients.

I could eat avocados by themselves, so this guacamole, as simple as it is, was a big hit for me. The 'other' ingredients provide some nice subtle undertones without overpowering the main course, the delicious avocado. That's what RB says guacamole should be about, the avocados themselves. His chapter on guacamole reads like a love story, with avocados playing the lead role.

The recipe in the book also calls for fresh tomatoes, which I did not have. I might play around with the ingredients for future guac's...but...maybe not. I love the simplicity of this version without tomatoes.

Ratings:

Flavor: 5/5

I love avocados. There isn't too much to distract from the avocados here, just some nice subtleties that add to the overall enjoyment.

Texture: 5/5

I like the avocados in my guacamole mashed up pretty well and smooth. You could easily make a more chunky version by not mashing them quite as much.

Versatility: 5/5

As a complete lunch with some freshly made tortillas (if only I could make them successfully) or as a compliment to another main course, this guacamole could be served in so many ways.

Robin's Black Bean Salsa:


1 15-oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup frozen sweet white corn
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice from 2 freshly squeezed limes
3 Tablespoons cumin
2 Tablespoons veg. oil (she uses grapeseed oil for a more healthy option)
1 cup frozen mango, diced (optional)

Mix well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight preferred).

Add ½ cup diced tomato (I used 1 large plum tomato) just before serving and mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ratings:

Flavor: 4.5/5

I love black bean salsa. The addition of the sweet corn and mango adds brightness and freshness and just plain goodness. Pair this with some of that guacamole, the flavors mesh very well together.

I also think it's brilliant to add the tomato just before serving, so they don't lose their flavor when cooled in the refrigerator.

Queso, queso, queso...

and more queso! How much queso can one man eat?!? This is the price I pay for buying a 2 pound bag of cheese the day I made the enchiladas. No cheese will go to waste in my household!

So...with the last bit of remaining cheese I decided to try a queso like that you might find at Mexican restaurants in the U.S. This is just another version of the queso fundido I tried a couple weeks back. I don't know how 'authentic' this version is, but it's definitely something I enjoy eating, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Last time making queso fundido I baked the cheese in the oven, this time I made it stovetop with a roux. I used no recipes or cookbooks for this one, it was completely off the cuff, and it turned out pretty well. Here's what I did, and again you can adjust the ingredients for this as it's very versatile:

2 T. butter
2 T. flour
Milk (I have no idea how much I added, but if I had to guess...about 3/4 to 1 cup)
A couple handfuls of shredded cheese
Tomato salsa (only had store bought on hand, turned out quite well), about 3-4 T.
Adobo (also leftover from enchilada night, and so tasty I've become quite fond of cooking with it), about 1 T.

Melt the butter over medium heat, then whisk in the flour until smooth. Stir and cook until the roux begins to darken, add some milk. Whisk the mixture until smooth and it begins to thicken. When the roux begins to bubble slightly, remove from the heat and add the rest of the ingredients, whisking until smooth. Pour into a bowl and serve immediately with tortillas or chips.

Note: This queso has good reheatability, just about 1 minute in the microwave later on and it was just as tasty as when it was fresh.

When I served this (to myself) I warmed some tortilla chips in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes. This would have been great with some fresh corn or flour tortillas, but it was something I made on a whim so no tortillas this time around.

Ratings:

Flavor: 4/5 (Kendra [who had the reheated version]: 4/5)

Very hard to stop eating, very similar to the queso dip you'd find at Tex-Mex restaurants.

Quesadillas

I took some time off from the cookbook (the quesadillas in there call for corn tortillas...and I'm not yet ready to subject myself to that again), and with the leftovers we had in the refrigerator, I made some quesadillas for myself and for my daughter. Kendra was out for the night, and when she got home she was starving so I made her one too. They were big on flavor and texture, my most successful quesadillas to date. Recipe follows:

Quesadilla #1:

Mexican rice (Goya brand)
shredded cheese (same mix of cheddar, quesadilla, asadero, and Monterey Jack)
pinch coarse kosher salt
1 flour tortilla

Quesadilla #2:

shredded chicken mixed with some of the enchilada sauce
shredded cheese
pinch coarse kosher salt
1 flour tortilla

My way: In a large skillet, I melted about 1 T. butter over medium heat. When the butter began to sizzle a bit, I added one small flour tortilla. I was using all the leftovers, and we had an abundance of flour tortillas in the fridge. If using a small tortilla these quesadillas are taco sized. Use a large flour tortilla to get that typical quesadilla size. The tortilla sizzled slightly in the butter, perfect! Don't let the pan get too hot, but make sure it's hot enough so the butter cooks the tortilla and doesn't just seep into it. Note: I was able to make about 3 small quesadillas using the 1T. butter.

While the tortilla sizzles, add your fillings down the middle, slightly towards one side. Fold one side over, and press it down with a spatula. When one side is nice and golden brown and crispy (about 3-5 minutes) flip it and crisp the other side (about 3-5 more minutes). Add the pinch of salt to the top side and move to some paper towels to soak up a bit of the butter. Let cool a bit, and serve with a dollop of sour cream and some salsa.

Experiment with fillings, these are easy and my daughter loved them. Fun to make, fun to eat. The contrasting textures of the crispy tortilla and the melted cheese are heavenly.

Edit: Quesadilla #3

roasted yellow pepper
fresh chorizo, removed from casing and cooked in skillet
shredded pepper Jack or any other cheese you like
adobo
1 tortilla

I tried this today, again with leftover stuff in the fridge...and it was a really nice mix of sweet, savory, and spicy. Cut a yellow pepper into quarters and lay skin-side down in a dry skillet on medium or med-high heat. When the skin begins to blacken, smash the pepper down with a spatula long enough to get the majority of the skin blackened. Flip it over to slightly roast the fleshy side. Remove from the pan.

Prepare the quesadilla as above, with the cooked chorizo, roasted pepper, and cheese, this time adding some adobo (the sauce from canned chipotle chiles). Finish with a wedge of lime and some cream. (Flavor 5/5, Heat level 3/5 depending on how much adobo you add and whether you use Jack or Pepper Jack)

Here's a picture of the mini quesadilla, snapped with my iPhone:

Recipe #2: Creamy Enchiladas with Chicken and Green Chile

I went into this recipe with very high hopes. Enchiladas are my dish of choice at just about any Mexican restaurant. Delicious meat or cheese wrapped up in a fresh corn tortilla, baked in that wonderful sauce with more melted cheese on top...paired with some good rice and beans, it is far and away my favorite.

Let's just say I didn't achieve the level of happiness while eating my own as I typically do while eating them at a restaurant. But hey, it's my first try, and they certainly weren't bad.

The book says you can make the sauce in advance, so this was what I decided to tackle first.

First step...roast the chile. This is done in a dry skillet over medium heat. Kendra bought a really big jalapeno, so where this step normally takes about 5 minutes to blacken most of the skin...this step took about 15. The best part about this step, the chile did a little dance in the pan. Try it, it's entertaining.

EDIT: I roast just about everything under the broiler now. The chiles roast more evenly and it seems to take less time.

Next step, once softened and blackened in spots, add the roasted chile to two 28 oz cans of whole, peeled (and drained) tomatoes in a blender, and puree until smooth. I also added one clove of garlic here even though the recipe didn't call for it. Also, despite adding the entire jalapeno (yet only half the seeds), the sauce was not spicy at all.

Once smooth, the tomato and chile puree was added to some onions, which were sauteing in a deep pot, and cooked at a strong simmer/boil on medium-high for about 15 minutes. Chicken stock was added at this point and the sauce cooked for another 15 minutes, removed from heat, and finished with a touch of heavy cream.

One hurdle cleared...so many left to go.

At this point Kendra left the house for a bit. I was left alone with Siena, who is just shy of 8 months old and my two older kids, Madison and Jack, who were playing MarioKart in the other room, and my unfinished enchiladas. The big kids were occupied, but Siena was angry. She has a habit of yelling at us when she's the slightest big ignored, and yell she did. What she should have done was laugh at my feeble attempt at making some corn tortillas...which leads us to the next step...

Corn tortillas. Three ingredients: masa harina, hot water, salt. I wish I had been able to see myself try this from a different perspective because it really was comical. I got the dough to a consistent I thought was right. I put the pieces of plastic on the tortilla press's plates so the dough wouldn't stick. I pressed a small ball of the dough. The first one looked pathetic, like the little corn tortilla all the other ones pick on. It was about 3 inches in diameter, and just a sad looking thing. But I cooked it as specified, on the ungreased griddle for about 1 minute per side. I figured since this one was so pathetic looking that I would eat it to see how it tasted. Actually the taste was not too bad, but the tortilla was too thick. FAIL. So for the next one I combined two of my dough balls, pressed the combined dough ball out...this time to about 6 inches in diameter. A few words of advice: make sure the dough doesn't touch the tortilla press plates AT ALL. This one was torn to shreds when I opened up the press because a small area was in contact with the press's upper plate. FAIL. Let's try again...maybe the dough was too dry? I again combined two small dough balls into a bigger one, this time added a few drops of water to it while i worked it a bit. This time I successfully pressed it to about 6 inches and was able to remove it from the tortilla press. I baked it on the griddle and again tasted it. Too thick and not cooked enough. FAIL. So in about 30 minutes, I have created zero usable tortillas. Kendra is due home soon, and I have no tortillas with which to make enchiladas. Even if the consistency had been right, the tortillas would have created what could have been called enchiladitas, because they would have been so tiny. I got in touch with Kendra and told her to pick up some tortillas at the store. Unfortunately they didn't have corn, so we used flour. Bummer. But at least we'd have something that resembled enchiladas for dinner.

Now it's 8PM, the kids are still playing MarioKart, and I haven't even cooked the chicken. In my haste, I prepared the chicken for the enchiladas in the microwave. I know, this sounds awful, but it works, especially if you plan to shred the chicken. I didn't have time to poach it, so in a pinch, i poked some holes in the chicken so it didn't explode, and microwaved the three breasts on high for about 7 minutes. If covered with plastic wrap, the chicken comes out surprisingly juicy and shreds easily with two forks. Hey, RB pushes non-pretentious cooking. Chicken in the microwave is as non-pretentious as it gets.

I coated a 13x9 with some of the enchilada sauce, added a bit more sauce to the chicken and rolled that up in the store-bought flour tortillas (wincing all the time because I was looking forward to the flavor of corn tortillas), placed them in the 13x9, covered with the remaining sauce and some cheese, and baked in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes.

RESULT: Essentially what we had for dinner were giant shredded chicken burritos topped with enchilada sauce and cheese. Tasty, but certainly not what I had bargained for. Oh well, there's always next time. On the side we had Goya brand Mexican rice (awesome) and some Old El Paso brand refried beans. We had enough to feed 10 people. Good to know for next time.

Although it took quite a bit of preparation, this was an easy dish minus the corn tortillas, which are going to take some practice. And paired with the rice and beans, a hearty meal indeed. This is one that the whole family can help prepare, and actually probably should. Working alone and being bossed around by my 8 month old, I was a bit overwhelmed.

I will try these again once I have a better grasp on how to make corn tortillas...ones that are big enough to be enchiladas, but not so big as what we had.

Ratings (as prepared by me, the greenhorn):

Flavor: 4/5 (Kendra: 5/5)

The enchilada sauce is very flavorful. I got a slight tang to mine, which I didn't really like. Not sure where that came from, maybe the acidity of the tomatoes?

Heat: 0/5 (Kendra: 0/5)

The lone roasted jalapeno chile we used only added a nice flavor. There was not even a hint of heat to the finished dish.

Difficulty: 4/5

If not for the corn tortillas, this would have been a 2/5. With some practice, hopefully some day I'll have some real enchiladas.

Kid Friendliness: Unsure, but probably 4/5

There's nothing scary for kids here. Keep the ingredients simple and they should be able to enjoy these enchiladas.

Recipe #1: Queso Fundido

Queso fundido...translation...melted cheese. How hard could this be? A lot harder than it sounds, that's for sure.

The recipe in Mexico: One Plate at a Time called for full-flavored mushrooms, red onions, chipotle chiles en adobo, and a good mexican melting cheese like asadero or Chihuahua. My modifications: baby bellas, yellow onions, and a packaged blend of cheeses including Monterey Jack, asadero, and quesadilla.

It's true that it's not very difficult to melt some cheese. Some cheese and some heat are all that are necessary. However, to get the cheese to the desired consistency and flavor...that was the challenge here.

It's a pretty simple recipe, cook the onions, mushrooms, and chiles in stages in a skillet, then place in a casserole dish (covered) to keep warm while heating tortillas in the oven. Then when the tortillas are just about ready, the cheese is added to the casserole and baked until the cheese is just melted. If you leave it in the oven for too long the cheese will become oily and stringy.

RESULT: The dish was pretty tasty, but the overall enjoyment of the queso fundido tacos would have been heightened had the mushrooms been finely chopped instead of thickly sliced. Additionally, I was lazy and used store-bought flour tortillas instead of handmade corn tortillas (since I haven't yet tried my hand at corn tortillas, I didn't want to subject my wife to potential failures on multiple platforms). I will definitely try this recipe again with some more modifications.

It's an easy dish to make in a pinch and very versatile with what ingredients can be added. When I make it again I'll serve it with some fresh guacamole or salsa to cool the hot, melted cheese a bit just before biting into the taco.

In terms of spiciness, I used three of the canned chiles and not much of the adobo sauce and my wife Kendra still thought it was way too spicy. Next time I will definitely use less chiles so as to not smoke her out.

Ratings (As prepared by me. I'm sure RB would get a 5 for flavor!):

Flavor: 3/5 (Kendra: 3/5)

There are not many things better, in my opinion, than melted cheese paired with warm tortillas. Some better technique, a different blend of cheeses, better overall texture of all combined ingredients, freshly made tortillas (flour or corn), and maybe some condiments (guacamole/salsa) will boost the flavor and enjoyment factor next time.

Heat: 2/5 (Kendra: 10/5)

Sorry dear, but your taste buds are pansies.

Difficulty: 1/5

It won't be getting any easier than this.

Miles needed to run to work off this meal: 10

In all seriousness, this dish is meant to be shared by many. Like anything else, moderation is key here. I limited myself to two tacos, a nice salad would be a good addition, as recommended by RB.

Kid Friendliness: 5/5

Reduce the spiciness and minimize the complexities, and the kids will have fun preparing their own tacos full of oozy, delicious cheese.

Life Changing Experiences

Obviously it would not compare to meeting my wife in 1999 or the births of my three children, but in terms of food, trying pork carnitas for the first time was truly a life changing experience.

It was a warm July evening in New York. My wife and I were at her annual family reunion. There is always great food at these reunions, but when her uncle, who is a chef, brought out the pork carnitas tacos with a tangy cilantro salsa...well, it was love at first bite.

Since then, I have made...or have tried to make...carnitas to equal the flavor I tasted that day. While I haven't quite succeeded in equaling the chef's creation, my carnitas have been darn tasty. Encouraging. Having inspired a coworker to make carnitas, her's were just as good as mine and possibly even better. More encouraging.

Perhaps just as important an experience as tasting pork carnitas for the first time was watching Rick Bayless work his magic on Top Chef Masters. Rick is extremely charismatic and his show, Mexico: One Plate at a Time, is captivating. The cookbook, which shares the same title as the show, doesn't just provide recipes but also insight into the culture behind the delicious food. I can't wait to get to one of his restaurants to experience the food he has spent so many years studying. But for now, I have his cookbook, and I am ready to dive in head first.

Since the Julie & Julia Project, I'm sure there have been many copycat blogs. My blog will be similar in scope, albeit lacking the intensity of completing 500+ complex French recipes in 365 days. But I will try (emphasis on the word TRY) to complete all the recipes in this cookbook. It might not be within the next year, I might even skip a few weeks here and there, and occassionally I might even throw in a recipe of my own, but eventually I'll TRY to get to all of them. I'll stick with the basics at first, and as I progress...IF I progress...I'll try to tackle some of the more complex recipes.

I hope at some point at least a few people will read and follow this blog. But if that doesn't happen, it's ok, this is just an outlet for me and a way to track my progress, successes, and failures. Wish me luck, I'm going to need it.

-Dan